Saturday, November 3, 2018

kinkeepers

"The predominance of women in genealogical communities is consistent with the literature on "kinkeeping," the term coined by Carolyn J. Rosenthal to describe how the practice of maintaining family ties -- through activities such as fostering communication between members or providing emotional and financial aid to them -- was a form of gendered labor. Genealogists can be seen as fulfilling the role of kinkeeper in their families. With genealogical practices of prior times and of today, kinkeeping involves the work of connecting past and present kin with purposeful narrative."

 -- Alondra Nelson, The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome